• Fidonet for Dummies

    From Simon Geddes@1:103/705 to All on Fri Aug 9 13:58:41 2019
    Hi all,

    I'm new to Fidonet, although have been very aware of its existence for 25 years plus. It's taken me a little while to finally join you. I wasn't sure if it was still going in any real way, and I'm excited to see so much lively discussion going on across various echos.

    The problem is, I could really do with some sort of beginner's guide to it all! Terms like netmail, echomail, the node numbering system, how messages are passed between boards, how many echos are out there, how to become a sysop of a BBS carrying fidonet - this is all stuff I'm unsure of and would like to learn more about it.

    The challenge is - I don't have regular access to the internet at home any more - voluntarily reliant on dial-up so I need to work all of this out via BBSes themselves. I daresay sitting and lurking for long enough will eventually teach me everything I need to know. Just wondering if there's a beginners guide or similar resource that you could recommend. Apologies for a rambling post - which could have been just one line long!
    --- SBBSecho 3.08-Linux
    * Origin: Vertrauen - [vert/cvs/bbs].synchro.net (1:103/705)
  • From BOB ACKLEY@1:123/140 to SIMON GEDDES on Sat Aug 10 13:08:42 2019
    Hi all,

    I'm new to Fidonet, although have been very aware of its existence
    for 25 years
    plus. It's taken me a little while to finally join you. I wasn't sure
    if it was
    still going in any real way, and I'm excited to see so much lively
    discussion
    going on across various echos.

    The problem is, I could really do with some sort of beginner's guide
    to it all!

    Echomail is simply posts in the Fidonet echoes and it's public.
    Netmail is between individuals using Fidonet to transport the data.

    Terms like netmail, echomail, the node numbering system, how messages
    are

    The node numbering system is fairly simple, the format is zone/net/node,
    i.e. 1:285/1 is Zone 1, Net 285, Node 1 (note Net 285 used to be the
    Omaha NE area but gas been defunct for probably 20 years).

    passed between boards, how many echos are out there, how to become a
    sysop of a
    BBS carrying fidonet - this is all stuff I'm unsure of and would like
    to learn
    more about it.

    Fidonet used to be very hierarchical but not so much any more.


    The challenge is - I don't have regular access to the internet at
    home any more
    - voluntarily reliant on dial-up so I need to work all of this out
    via BBSes
    themselves. I daresay sitting and lurking for long enough will
    eventually teach
    me everything I need to know. Just wondering if there's a beginners
    guide or
    similar resource that you could recommend. Apologies for a rambling
    post -
    which could have been just one line long!
    --- SBBSecho 3.08-Linux
    * Origin: Vertrauen - [vert/cvs/bbs].synchro.net (1:103/705)

    --- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5
    * Origin: Fido Since 1991 | QWK by Web | BBS.FIDOSYSOP.ORG (1:123/140)
  • From Kurt Weiske@1:218/700 to Simon Geddes on Sat Aug 10 09:54:00 2019
    Simon Geddes wrote to All <=-

    Hi all,

    The problem is, I could really do with some sort of beginner's guide to
    it all! Terms like netmail, echomail, the node numbering system, how messages are passed between boards, how many echos are out there, how
    to become a sysop of a BBS carrying fidonet - this is all stuff I'm
    unsure of and would like to learn more about it.

    Next time you're online, google "Big Dummy's Guide to Fidonet, it's dated
    but is a good intro to a lot of what we do here.


    ... Do you know where you are?
    --- MultiMail/XT v0.52
    * Origin: http://realitycheckbbs.org | tomorrow's retro tech (1:218/700)